Chapter 1: Preliminaries 1 of 18 Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Microeconomics Pindyck/Rubinfeld, 7e. CHAPTER 1 Introduction

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1 of 18Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall • Microeconomics • Pindyck/Rubinfeld, 7e.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

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OUTLINE

1.1 The Themes of Microeconomics

1.2 What Is a Market?

1.3 Real versus Nominal Prices

1.4 Why Study Microeconomics?

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Preliminaries

● microeconomics Branch of economics that deals with the behavior of individual economic units—consumers, firms, workers, and investors—as well as the markets that these units comprise.

● macroeconomics Branch of economics that deals with aggregate economic variables, such as the level and growth rate of national output, interest rates, unemployment, and inflation.

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THE THEMES OF MICROECONOMICS1.1

Trade Offs

Consumers

Workers

Firms

Consumers have limited incomes, which can be spent on a wide variety of goods and services, or saved for the future.

Workers also face constraints and make trade-offs. First, people must decide whether and when to enter the workforce. Second, workers face trade-offs in their choice ofemployment. Finally, workers must sometimes decide how many hours per week they wish to work, thereby trading off labor for leisure.

Firms also face limits in terms of the kinds of products that they can produce, and the resources available to produce them.

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1.1

Prices and Markets

Microeconomics describes how prices are determined.

In a centrally planned economy, prices are set by the government.

In a market economy, prices are determined by the interactions of consumers, workers, and firms. These interactions occur in markets—collections of buyers and sellers that together determine the price of a good.

THE THEMES OF MICROECONOMICS

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1.1

Theories and Models

In economics, explanation and prediction are based on theories. Theories are developed to explain observed phenomena in terms of a set of basic rules and assumptions.

A model is a mathematical representation, based on economic theory, of a firm, a market, or some other entity.

Positive versus Normative Analysis

● positive analysis Analysis describing relationships of cause and effect.

● normative analysis Analysis examining questions of what ought to be.

THE THEMES OF MICROECONOMICS

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WHAT IS A MARKET?1.2

● market Collection of buyers and sellers that, through their actual or potential interactions, determine the price of a product or set of products.

● market definition Determination of the buyers, sellers, and range of products that should be included in a particular market.

● arbitrage Practice of buying at a low price at one location and selling at a higher price in another.

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1.2

Competitive versus Noncompetitive Markets

Market Price

● perfectly competitive market Market with many buyers and sellers, so that no single buyer or seller has a significant impact on price.

● market price Price prevailing in a competitive market.

WHAT IS A MARKET?

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1.2

Market Definition—The Extent of a Market

● extent of a market Boundaries of a market, both geographical and in terms of range of products produced and sold within it.

Market definition is important for two reasons:

• A company must understand who its actual and potential competitors are for the various products that it sells or might sell in the future.

• Market definition can be important for public policy decisions.

WHAT IS A MARKET?

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REAL VERSUS NOMINAL PRICES1.3

● nominal price Absolute price of a good, unadjusted for inflation.

● real price Price of a good relative to an aggregate measure of prices; price adjusted for inflation.

● Consumer Price Index Measure of the aggregate price level.

● Producer Price Index Measure of the aggregate price level for intermediate products and wholesale goods.

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WHY STUDY MICROECONOMICS?1.4

Corporate Decision Making: Ford’s Sport Utility Vehicles

The design and efficient production of Ford’s SUVs involved not only some impressive engineering, but a lot of economics as well.

First, Ford had to think carefully about how the public would react to the design and performance of its new products.

Next, Ford had to be concerned with the cost of manufacturing these cars.

Finally, Ford had to think about its relationship to the government and the effects of regulatory policies.

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WHY STUDY MICROECONOMICS?1.4

Public Policy Design: Automobile Emission Standards for the Twenty-First Century

The design of a program like the Clean Air Act involves a good deal of economics.

First, the government must evaluate the monetary impact of the program on consumers.

The government must determine how new standards will affect the cost of producing cars.

Finally, the government must ask why the problems related to air pollution are not solved by our market-oriented economy.

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Chapter 1: Preliminaries 1 of 18 Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Microeconomics Pindyck/Rubinfeld, 7e. CHAPTER 1 Introduction